A FAMILY have been ordered to confine their young children's play to the back garden - because their toys make the front look untidy.

Leanne Kitson, 24, and her partner Glen Willcock, 29, were sent three letters containing edicts from their landlord, the Golden Gates Housing Association.

They share their four-bedroom property in Longford, Warrington, with sons Jake, seven, Nathan, six, Joshua, five, and two-year-old Ryan, who play with their toys - including a see-saw - on the front lawn which surrounds the corner plot home.

But the housing association has complained that toys left there were unsightly since they could be seen from the street.

The lawn at the front of the house surrounds the property on two sides and is three times the size of the back garden, which measures just 10 yards by eight yards.

Tidied

A collection of children's toys, including tricycles, pedal-cars and a see-saw, are tidied into a corner every night when the children are in bed, but the landlords claim this is unacceptable.

Leanne said: "The first letter we received just said I should keep the garden tidy. Then I got another letter specifying that it was the toys they objected to.

"I was amazed and disgusted because it's not as if the garden was overgrown or full of rubbish. It's just got a few toys on the lawn."

Andrew Oates, estates services manager for Golden Gates Housing, said: "We are committed to improving the estates we manage. This includes asking tenants to keep their gardens tidy and taking appropriate action if they fail to do so." He said the family has not replied.